School closures urged for bushfire season

The State Opposition is urging the Tasmanian Government to close schools on fire emergency warning days.

The Liberals' education spokesman Michael Ferguson says there could have been tragic results if the bushfire at Dunalley had happened during the school term.

Mr Ferguson says some other states made it a policy to close schools on fire emergency warning days after the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

"I'm calling on Education Minister Nick McKim to put student safety first and immediately make sure Tasmanian schools do not open for business on days that have been marked as catastrophic bushfire warning days," he said.

"Tasmania's good fortune to date, and especially this fire season, not having lost any lives is no excuse for not immediately making in place a rule, an Education Department rule, that schools will not open for business when they've been denoted and set aside as catastrophic fire days."

In a statement, the Education Departments deputy secretary Andrew Finch says school closures are decided on a case-by-case basis and in some situations it is better for students to be at school.

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